Category Archives: Social media

President Barack Obama met with three entertaining young YouTube stars on Jan. 23 at the White House, but it wasn’t all laughs. The Guardian newspaper said the president faced “a surprise grilling” on such issues as healthcare and inequality. The Guardian reported:

The questions, frequently holding the president to account, came from YouTube personalities who have previously touted videos like “The five worst places to vomit” and “My push-up bra will help me get my man”.

But there was a notable absence of the quirkiness and outrageous manner that has led GloZell Green to gain 5 million followers on social media, or Hank Green’s Vlog Brothers YouTube channel to gain 2.4 million subscribers.

There were scattered moments, such as when GloZell Green accidentally called Michelle Obama the president’s “first wife” instead of the first lady, and when she cheekily said Raúl Castro “puts the ‘dick’ in dictator”.

Instead, in the 45-minute #YouTubeAsksObama interviews, the president fielded questions on inequality, college education, the economy, same-sex marriage rights and unemployment. Google, which owns YouTube, showed charts of search trends that demonstrated that economic issues including college, taxes, housing, employment and education were the most-searched during the session.

Actor Rob Lowe criticized Obama, tweeting:

Hold up. Is it true that a woman who eats cereal out of bathtub gets to meet with the President and the Prime Minister of Isreal (sic) does not?

Some people mocked Lowe for spelling Israel wrong (maybe he had cereal on the brain). Others agreed with the actor, who pointed out that GloZell has also been known to snort condoms and eat spoonfuls of cinnamon.

The average Internet user regularly spent time on more than five social media platforms in 2014, according to a survey by the Global Web Index.
Facebook remains the largest social media site, but dropped in active usage by 9 percent in 2014, said the survey, which studies engagement on nearly 50 social media platforms.
Pinterest and Tumblr showed the biggest gains in active user numbers among the major social networks, jumping by 97 percent and 95 percent, respectively. Instagram and LinkedIn also showed big increases of 47 percent and 38 percent, respectively.
The survey asked users why they used social networks. Those from 16 to 24 years of age wanted to follow celebrities and celebrity news, and discover funny or entertaining content. Young people also experienced FOMO, the survey said – fear of missing out.
Users from 25 to 44 years of age were more interested in networking and promoting their work. Those in their 50s and 60s wanted to stay in touch with what their friends were doing.